Hand-Carved Love Triangle

From Mexican folk art to Sergio Leone to Radiohead, the director Jorge R. Gutierrez reached far and wide for inspiration in making “The Book of Life,” his first 3-D animated feature. The story of a woman and the two men who pine for her in a small Mexican village is at the heart of this mythic adventure, which has tinges of spaghetti westerns and makes room for magic, bullfighting and pop music.

Mr. Gutierrez, who was also behind Nickelodeon’s series “El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera,” emphasizes stylized rendering here. He designed the male characters, while his wife and collaborator, Sandra Equihua, did the female ones. Mr. Gutierrez looked at the hand-carved wooden figures from Mexican folk art and translated them for his film.

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Manolo (voiced by Diego Luna).CreditReel FX/Twentieth Century Fox

“One of my favorite things about Mexican folk art is this idea that artisans are making it,” Mr. Gutierrez said by phone from Washington. “So there are all these imperfections, and every piece is completely unique. As a kid, I loved having a Mexican folk art version of Superman or Bart Simpson. I loved the idea that they had become Mexican.”

Here is a look at three characters from “Life,” with commentary by Mr. Gutierrez and the art director, Paul J. Sullivan.

The protagonist, Manolo, is a reluctant bullfighter (voiced by Diego Luna) who wants to play music. At one point, he even sings a mariachi version of Radiohead’s “Creep.” Manolo is built like a traditional toreador, top-heavy with tiny legs. “The machismo and the weight of being a bullfighter is on top of him,” Mr. Gutierrez said. Mr. Sullivan echoed that theme with the town: “We made our buildings top-heavy and very square,” he said by phone. “They also lean on one another to symbolize that the town is always supporting one another and holding each other up.” Manolo has a curlicue in his hair, which Mr. Gutierrez included in all of Manolo’s family members. While customary bullfighter attire is largely green or red, Manolo’s is black. For one, it looks more like a mariachi suit, reflecting his yearnings. For another, Mr. Gutierrez is a big fan of Johnny Cash.

Royal Wear and Tear

Maria’s other suitor is Joaquin, who was designed to give Manolo a run for his money. “He’s the brawny, strong warrior,” Mr. Sullivan said. “He’s kind of a bad dude in a good way.” Mr. Gutierrez saw Joaquin, voiced by Channing Tatum, as kind of a Mexican prince. He researched clothing in the 1910s and found that there was an obsession with Europe in Mexican high society at the time. He incorporated that into his clothing design, with a royal-blue top and red cape.

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Maria (voiced by Zoe Saldana).CreditReel FX/Twentieth Century Fox

Facially, the character endured a bit of a makeover. “When Channing accepted the role, I basically redesigned his face to make him even more handsome,” Mr. Gutierrez said. “And with his mustache, I worked very hard to make sure it was just manly enough.” The filmmakers wanted a wear-and-tear look, like toys frequently played with. A close look at Joaquin’s arms reveals the paint chipping off his costume.

Strength and Soul

The filmmakers wanted Maria (voiced by Zoe Saldana), the young woman at the center of the film, to be feminine and strong, not objectified. Mr. Gutierrez, who has been drawing with Ms. Equihua since they were in high school, didn’t trust himself to design the female characters, because “when a male designer designs a female character, it’s sort of a fantasy version of what a girl is,” he said. “Sandra adds all these reality flaws and personal touches.”

One example Mr. Gutierrez cited is Maria’s larger lower half. “Sandra loves doing that, to say that this is perhaps an imperfection perceived by the West that Mexicans have embraced.”

Her skirt, by color and pattern, is based on a traditional Mexican folkloric design. Symbolism and meaning factor into the film’s characters, too. Mr. Gutierrez and Ms. Equihua like the belief that eyes are the window to the soul, so Maria’s eyes are very big.